After the exciting riddle challenge, the rice cooking finally began. As an appetizing aroma from the clay pot gradually began to fill the air, the children could hardly wait. With everyone gathered around the clay pot, Mami-okusama opened the lid on the count of “One, two, three!” Steam rose up, and all the children cried out in wonder and excitement. Speaking encouragingly to each child, Mami-okusama showed them how to shape the rice balls and how to wrap the nori seaweed in a cute way. The children chose from three types of fillings prepared according to Mami-okusama’s instructions—pickled plum, simmered kombu seaweed, and shigure miso (savory miso condiment)—and shaped many rice balls in their own unique ways. Once the rice balls were finished, Mami-okusama recited the World Church of Messiah Mealtime Prayer composed by Masaaki-sama, and at the end, all participants said Amen together. The sight of the children turning their hearts to God was truly moving. When they took a bite into the one-of-a-kind rice balls made with their own hands, voices rang out saying “This is too good!” Smiles spread across their faces, and many children had seconds one after another. After the activity ended, we heard that when the children returned to their room, each and every one told the facility caregivers “We made rice balls” and “It was fun.” The caregivers asked what was fun about it, and they answered with great joy, “Polishing the rice!” and “Making the rice balls!” The caregiver in charge who participated also shared their impression: “At the home, the children don’t have opportunities to make rice balls themselves, and this was their first experience polishing rice as well. The rice balls were incredibly good, and everyone was very happy.” Throughout, Mami-okusama stayed close to the children, engaging with each and every child with warmth in her eyes. She conveyed to them the truth that Masaaki-sama reveals—the salvation of the vegan diet. Mami-okusama serves Masaaki-sama with absolute devotion, dedicating her very life, and has a burning passion for spreading the truth in any situation or place. We too wish to follow her example, in however small a way, kindle the passion in our hearts, and press forward in our missionary work. ***About Mami-okusama (Mami Okada)Mami-okusama was born in Aichi Prefecture and was raised in a farming household. Also known as Japan’s Vegan Beauty, she is the wife of and Aide to Masaaki-sama (Masaaki Okada), World Church of Messiah’s Representative of Kyoshu. She is a vegan recipe developer focusing on the Japanese vegan diet. She is the first to establish the “vegan deco ben” (vegan decorative bento) and “vegan kyara ben” (vegan character bento) genres. Not only are they beautiful to the eye, these bento are created entirely from plant-based ingredients, in line with what Masaaki-sama teaches on the truth of food, that seasonal and local eating rooted in the climate and terrain of Japan is the most beneficial for health and well-being, that is, to eat what grows in one’s local region. Through these and also through the creation of her many original recipes, she seeks to spread the Christian vegan diet—the true healthy diet. She graduated from University of Tsukuba. During her studies there, she became actively involved in volunteer activities such as refugee support. She was also repeatedly asked to participate in the Miss Tsukuba Contest and was approached by many modeling agencies, but she declined all of these offers as she wanted to focus on refugee support activities. In recognition of her efforts in refugee support, she received the University of Tsukuba President’s Award in 2012. She holds a license to teach English to intermediate and high school students. After graduating from university, she began working for World Church of Messiah in 2013. In 2014, she married Masaaki-sama, the great-grandson of the founder of World Church of Messiah, Meishu-sama (Mokichi Okada 1882–1955), and the representative and successor of Kyoshu-sama. On May 24, 2026, on the day of Pentecost, she assumed the position of Aide to the Representative of Kyoshu. Currently, while raising three children, she is working tirelessly unlike anyone else in the practice and spread of the Christian vegan diet as taught in Masaaki-sama’s revolutionary message: “Jesus Christ was the last and ultimate sacrifice—so it is no longer necessary to eat a diet that comes with the suffering of animals.”